Counterset



Patented July 15, 1924.

UNITED s'milrzsv PA'rliNT oFFlcE."

HARRY J. CUNNINGHAM ANDCARL G. A. ROSN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,AS- SIGNORS TO TUNG- FOON COMPANY, F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ACOPARI- NERSHIP COMIEOSED` OF HARRY J'. CUNNINGHAM, CARL G. A. ROSEN,AND JOI-IN J'.

ODONNEL;

COUNTERSET.

Appucation flied october' 22, 1923. serial No. 670,010.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, HARRY J. CUN- NINGHAM and CARLG. A. RosN, citizensof the United States, and residents of the city and county of SanFrancisco, State of Calivfornia, have invented a newV and usefulCounterset, of which thev following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a counter set particularly adapted for use inconnection with playing card games and Chinese games; such as, Mah Jong,Mah Chuck, VVoo,7 etc.

One object of the invention is to provide a counter set of the characterdescribed in which the individual units yor racks have the same elementsand are adapted for use in the same manner as the ordinary racks, butcan be fitted together when not inuse to collectively occupy a minimumspace.

Another object of the invention is to provide a counter set which isextremely attractive in appearance yet cany be manufacturedV at a lowcost. Y

The invention possesses other objects Yand features of advantage, someof which, with the foregoing, will be set forth inthe followingdescription of the preferred form of our invention which is illustratedin the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification.v Itis to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the showing madein the said drawings and descrip tion, as we may adopt variations of thepreferred form within the scope of our invention as set forth inthe'claims.

Referring to said drawings:

Figures l and 2 are perspective viewsof a pair of the racks of the set.'

Figure 3 ,is a section View of a pairr of racks fitted together.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing all the racks of the set fittedtogether.

The game of Mah Jong, herein referred to as one of the games with whichthe counter sets may be used, is played with sets of tiles havingthereon characters denoting the suits, and also having numerals from 1to 9. The game is played by the players matching up the various tiles bysuits until one of the players has matched all of the tiles in his hand,when he will Mah Jong. The other players then pay the winner suitableamounts in counters, the

Vvalues of which are vdetermined by the rules of the game.-

The racks usually used in counter sets of the character describedconsist of a row ofpegs or pins on an elongated base and l adapted toreceivel perforated chips or coins,

the' diiferent pegs being adapted to receive coins of different KYvalueso as to permit the ready counting and paying of the coins. This form ofcounter set, while ellicient in operation, makes a cumbersome collectionof the racks when gathered together for convenience in carrying,storing, etc. In accordance, however, with our invention, although theracks are adapted to be used in the usual manner, when not in use theymay be fitted together with such compactness that the entire set ofracks will occupy a space practically no larger than the space requiredby a single rack. Furthermore, the foregoing feature has beenaccomplished without detracting from the appearance of the racks, infact, the racks as designed in 'accordance' with ourA invention are morepleasing inv appearance than the old type.

Briefly expressed the counter set as here shown 'comprises rtwo pairs ofracks having their bases from which eXtend'the coin-receiving pegs andwhich are formed with a concave` bottom and convex top to allow thenesting of the bases. The pegs on one of the racks of each pair areformed hollow and large enoughr to fltover the other pegs; in thismanner when the bases of a pair of racks are nested, the pegs of onerack may lie within the pegs of the other. Four pegs are provided oneach base, and are positioned thereon to define the corner portions of asquare. The bases are also pro vided witlrperforations corresponding inVnumber to the pegs and positioned between Y and in the same relation asthe pegs. This pegs.

of the first mentioned racks ,is nested in thek base of the second, thepegs 17 will extend into the pegs 16.

The pegs as previously stated are positioned on the base so as to definethe corner portions of a square, the spacing of the pegs bein such as toreadily permit the coins to be paced on all of the pegs. Formed in thebases are openings 1S which are arranged in staggered relation to thepegs but spaced similarly thereto. The openings in each pair of racksare aligned when the pegs 17 are fitted into the pegs v16; andfurthermore the openings are large enough to accommodate the-pegs 16. Inthis manner either pair of racks may be nested in the other by allowingthe pegs of one pair to be Ipassed through the openings of the otherpair, as clearly illustrated in Figure et. With the racks thusfittedtogether, the pegs extending through the openings will lie betweenthe other pegs, however, sufficient distance remains between the latterpegs to permit the coins to be stored thereon when the device is not inuse. It will nowbe evident that the counter set of our inventionrequires a `minimum space and as a result can be readily carried withthe game apparatus without any difficulty.

The bases ar-e ypreferably provided with voctagonal sides 21, thusgiving the racks an extremely attractive appearance, and at the sametime permitting a uniform construe'- tion of the racks withoutimpai-ring their ability to properly nest'when the pegs of one pair ofracksare not aligned with the pegs of the other pair.

Anotherv feature of our set is the provision of a hump or shoulder A22at the base of the This facilitates the removal of .the lowest coin onthe pegs.

We claim:

1. A counter set, .comprising la rack provided with a plurality ofhollow pins positioned to receive chips of different representations, asecond rack adapted to nestin the first and provided withcorrespondingly positioned pins arranged to engage in the pins of saidfirst rack when the racks are nested.

2. A counter set, comprising a rack having a base with a concave bottom,a chip receiving tubular pin extending upwardly from and open at saidbase, a second rack having a base with a convex top of substantially thesame form as the bottom of base of the first mentioned rack whereby saidsecond base may nest in the first, and a chip receiving pin on saidsecond base adapted to lie within said first pin when the racks arenested.

3. A counter set comprising a rack having a perforated base and a chipreceiving pin extending upwardly therefrom, and a second rack having abase and a chip receiving pin extending upwardly therefrom and arrangedto engage in a perforation of said first base when said latter base issuperimposed over the second.

,4. A counter set comprising aV pair of racks having perforated basesand a plurality of chip receiving pins extending upwardly therefrom, thepins of one of said racks being hollow whereby the pins of the otherrack may engage therein when the first rack is superimposed on thesecond, said perforations being aligned when said pins .are inengagement, and a second pair of racks adapted to be superimposed on thefirst pair and provided with pins similar thereto and arranged to engagein said perforations when said first pair of racks is super*- imposed onthe second.

5. A counter set comprising two pairs of racks having octagonal basesformed with a concave bottom and a convex top of substantially the sameshape whereby said bases may nest within each other, hollow pinsextending upwardly from the bases of one rack of each pair, pins on theother rack of each pair adapted to engage in the rst pins when the firstracks of each pair are super` imposed on thc second racks, Vsaid'loaseshaving perforations arranged to be aligned when the pins of a pair ofracks are in engagement', said perforations being positioned on thebases in the same relation as the pins whereby the pins of one pair ofracks may engage in the perforations of the other pair of racks.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto Vset our hands at Oakland,California, this 17th day of October, 1923. f

HARRY J. CUNNINGHAM. CARL G. A. RosN.

